COAS, US Centcom chief take up cooperation on security issues

Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir has visited headquarters of US Central Command and held in-depth talks with Commander United States Central Command General Michael Erik Kurilla, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

According to a statement issued by the military’s media wing, ISPR, on Tuesday morning, General Asim Munir, NI (M), called on General Michael Erik Kurilla at Centcom Headquarters at Tampa Bay in Florida.

During the meeting, both the generals pondered over issues of shared interests, particularly cooperation in regional security matters.

Both sides discussed avenues of joint training and reiterated the need for enhancing training interactions between Centcom and Pakistan Army.

The COAS also visited Centcom Joint Operations Center during the visit.

State Department briefing

The United States administration has stated that it looked forward to working with Pakistan on regional security and defence cooperation while describing the South Asian country as a ‘major non-NATO ally’. “Pakistan is a major non-NATO ally of the United States and a NATO partner,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a weekly press briefing on Monday.

The spokesperson was responding to a query pertaining to details of the meeting of the Pakistani army chief and the spymaster with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

During his visit to the US, General Asim Munir had called on key US government and military officials including Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, General Llyod J Austin (retd), the secretary of defence, Victoria Nuland, the deputy secretary of state, Jonathan Finer, the deputy national security adviser and General Charles Q Brown, the chairman of joint chiefs of staff.

Matters of bilateral interests, global and regional security issues, and ongoing conflicts were discussed during the meetings.

In his briefing, State Department spokesperson Miller said he does not have any specific readout about General Asim Munir’s visit. He added that the army chief was in Washington to meet with a number of officials, including officials here at the State Department, including officials at the Pentagon and elsewhere.

After praising ties with Pakistan, he said: “We look forward to partnering with them on regional security and defence cooperation, and that’s what was the substance of the meetings.”

When asked about those who are trying to disrupt political system in Pakistan, the State Department spokesperson stated that the US supported free and fair elections in Pakistan. “We engage with Pakistan on a bilateral basis to discuss our support for free and fair elections,” he said and reiterated that the country does not take sides while speaking about Pakistan’s politics and they would engage with elected representatives.

“As I’ve said before, we don’t take a position as it comes to – when it comes to political parties in Pakistan, and we will engage with the leaders that the Pakistani people select,” Miller said.

Last week, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj Gen Pat Ryder had said that Pakistan was an important partner in the region. He added that the administration stayed in close contact with the country when it comes to issues like counter-terrorism.

Reporter Ahmad Mansoor